IV. Theosophy and Christianity

It was not irrelevant who brought this teaching into the world; rather, its founder had truly become flesh in the world. Therefore, in the early days of Christianity, less emphasis was placed on evidence than on the living memory of the Lord. This is continually emphasized. It is personality, god-filled personality, that holds the greatest communities together. That is why the early Christian teachers tell us again and again that it is the merit of the historical event from which Christianity originated. We have a reference from Irenaeus that he himself knew people who in turn had known apostles, those who had seen the Lord face to face. And he emphasizes that the fourth pope, Clement Romanus, still knew many apostles who had also seen the Lord face to face. That is true. And why does he emphasize this? The first teachers did not want to speak only of doctrine, not only of logical proofs, but above all they wanted to speak of the fact that they themselves had seen with their eyes and felt with their hands what had come down from above into the earthly world; that they were not there to prove anything, but to bear witness to the living Word. But this was not the personality that could be seen with the eyes or perceived with the senses. It is not the personality that could then be called the simple man from Nazareth that proclaims the first teaching of Christianity. A single word from a certainly authoritative witness must speak for the fact that something higher lies at the foundation. And this word of Paul cannot be emphasized enough: “If Christ has not been raised, then our message is futile and our faith is in vain.” Paul names the risen Christ as the foundation of Christianity, not the Christ who walked in Galilee and Jerusalem. Faith is in vain if Christ has not been raised. The Christian is in vain if he cannot profess the risen Christ.